The sound designer is responsible for how a production sounds beyond the noise the actors make. Sometimes the sound designer is responsible for music too, but usually music and sound design are separate roles. It depends on the requirements of the show. A production with a lot of live or incidental music might have a separate composer, who writes original music for the production or a musical director, such as in Musical theatre.
Some shows use a lot of sound effects and it's the sound designer’s job to decide what should be added where to enhance a production. They must then source the sounds and plan when they come in, when they stop and what volume level they should be at for best effect. If the sound designer operates the sound during performance they will have headphones so that they can check the sound effect or piece of music played is ‘cued up’ and ready to play at the right time. A loud sound effect coming in at the wrong moment could spoil a scene and break the theatrical illusion.
Once again, the artistic choices the sound designer makes will depend on the style of the production. Just like lights, sound can be used effectively to create atmosphere and location, such as adding a faint sound of birdsong under a scene set in a garden. Sound can also be used in an abstract way. For example, you could choose sounds which reflect the emotions of the characters onstage or a sound that creates fear or builds tension, eg a repetitive ticking noise that increases in volume throughout a scene.
Music may also be used to create mood and atmosphere. Playing it underneath the action onstage in this way is called underscoring. Can you think of a production where the music choices impressed you?
Choice of music is very important. You must decide if it should be live or recorded and consider whether it improves the work or if a scene would be more powerful without it.
Music and sound aren’t just used in musicals. Live or recorded music can add a lot to a dramatic production. Music and sound effects can be used to:
When music is played beneath a scene and used to help create mood, this is called underscoring.
Make sure that the music enhances your drama and doesn’t detract from what’s happening onstage. Some plays work best without any music at all so it must never be added for its own sake. A director must consider the style of their production and select music and sound to complement that. Some playwrights specify the music they want to be used in their scripts. The playwright, Tennessee Williams, specified the use of blues music in several of his plays.
Physical theatre often uses a lot of music to accompany the movement work onstage. As it’s often closely related to dance, this is important in giving work energy, pace and rhythm.
In non-naturalistic work, music might be used ironically so that it’s playing against the content onstage. This makes a statement on what is happening onstage. For example, a character has made some terrible decisions and is in despair. His misery is underscored by a very happy piece of music which only serves to emphasise his pain through irony. Using music in this way can be very useful when creating comic work and employing ‘black humour’
This technique is used in the 1992 film, Reservoir Dogs directed by Quentin Tarantino. A brutal torture scene is juxtaposed with the playing of a cheerful pop song, Stuck in the Middle with You, on the soundtrack.
Lighting is a very technical area and there are many types of lights (or lanterns). Coloured gels can be added to the front of some lanterns so that they throw coloured light onto the stage. Some can also be fitted with what is known as a gobo. This is a sheet inserted on a frame at the front of the light with a design cut into it. It filters the light, creating a picture effect on the stage. For example, a gobo could be used to create a dappled lighting effect to look like the leaves of a forest, or could be cut to create strips of light onstage which look like the bars of a prison.
Spot - has a hard-edged effect, used to light characters or elements on the stage. Coloured filters can be used with this lamp.
Fresnel - used for a softer edged effect, with a diffusing lens in front of the lamp. It's useful for good overall light when used with others. Coloured filters can be used with this lamp.
Flood - produces a clear wide-angled light, but there’s little control over the spread of the light. Coloured filters can be used with this lamp.
Strobe - a flashing light, used for special effects. It’s often used to give the effect of old movies. It produces a jerky effect on the movements of actors when used on its own.
The four general functions of stage lighting are: Visibility, Motivation, Composition and Mood.
In performing the four functions of stage lighting the Designer works with four basic controllable properties of light: Intensity, Distribution, Color and Movement.